


A Study on Species: Alphas, Betas, and Omegas

by Omuchgeekery



Series: Alpha/Beta/Omega Mass Effect AU [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Gen, Knotting, Mating Cycles/In Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 09:28:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omuchgeekery/pseuds/Omuchgeekery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A semi-brief "research paper" on alphas, betas, and omegas in the sentient species in Mass Effect. <br/>Written in-universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Study on Species: Alphas, Betas, and Omegas

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry to those of you who have been waiting for the next story!  
> I do have it started, and a basic plan of what I want to happen, but I was having a difficult time writing a certain part. I will do my best to start posting it as soon as I can.
> 
> Kudos to the Mass Effect Wiki, which helped me out on some of these races (and, yes, the Raloi are a canon species. they were in the "races" category page on the mass effect wiki.)  
> this was written at a handwavey time, probably mostly funded by the Yahg Shadow Broker, but with information possibly from Mass Effect 3 (depending on exactly when the Raloi were supposedly introduced)
> 
> Also, the author name is complete bogus, I just made it up. (aka, it's not my name)

A Study on Species: Alphas, Betas, and Omegas  
by Andie Edlund-Nomura, research helped and funded by the Shadow Broker

As far back as any current society can remember, most sentient races have been divided not only by gender in most cases, but also by orientation. (These days, one must also establish that they are talking about ABO orientation, and not just sexual orientation.) Alphas, by nature, tend to be stronger in general than Betas or Omegas, and more prone to rash decisions or bullheadedness. This is by no means an excuse, as anyone can overcome this if they try hard enough, it just means that in general they are more headstrong than Betas seem to be. Betas usually encompass the largest portion of each race, and are not as easily swayed by pheromones as Alphas are. Omegas tend to be the rarest in species - and are, in fact, not present in several - and are extremely fertile. They also have a "heat" every few months that forces them to seek an alpha and take their knot, in hopes of procreation. First, I will discuss the physical differences in the different ABO statuses, and then I will discuss the different species in relation to ABO orientations.

PHYSICAL DIFFERENCES  
Alphas, apart from being predisposed to be more physically fit, also have a penis and can sire offspring. While most alphas are male, there are female alphas (and they seem to be becoming more numerous as of late). With a few exceptions, female alphas do have a penis and testicles (which are smaller than those of males, and seem to be fused with the outer labia). The vaginal opening is smaller in female alphas than in other females, as the penis takes care of the urinal functions. Female alphas are also not as fertile as female betas or omegas. Female alphas are sometimes referred to as "dickgirls" or "futas". When exposed to certain pheromones produced only by an in-heat omega, the alpha will also produce a "knot" at the base of their penis.  
Betas are sometimes also referred to as "baselines". They are the standards of their race, and exist in every single known sentient race. Only Beta males can naturally sire offspring. Beta females do not have penises naturally (though they can through certain drugs or surgeries), and beta males cannot carry children naturally (there are medical procedures to allow beta males to carry children).  
Omegas, while also becoming more prevalent, are still the most rare in every race. Both male and female omegas can carry and give birth to children. Omega males can sire children, though it seems to be difficult for them to do so, and they can only sire them with another omega or, very very rarely (possibly only with the aid of drugs) a female beta. Every so often, an omega will go into heat, which may be allieved either by drugs and/or by mating with an alpha. Omegas are sometimes derisively referred to as "breeders".

SPECIES DIFFERENCES  
ASARI - Asari, being monogendered, are almost exclusively betas. While there are alpha asari, they are rare, and as Asari do not reproduce sexually, they lack both a penis and a knot. However, the fact that the Asari birthing canal can function like the standard vagina seems to indicate that they did, at one point, reproduce sexually, and perhaps even had more than one gender. Perhaps one day we will discover the Asari's male counterparts, separated from the females eons ago and still thriving.  
BATARIAN - It should be mentioned that the Batarians who populate pirate gangs and slaving rings are not representative of average batarian citizens, who are forbidden to leave batarian space by their government. In addition, Batarians are reluctant to talk about their omegas - and, in fact, their society in general. It is known that they have alphas, betas, and omegas, but only alphas and betas (and only males at that) can be found out of batarian space.  
DRELL - It is a common misconception that Drells are mostly omegas with a few betas as they are a subservient race. In fact, the Drell have the standard amount of each - largely beta, with quite a few alphas and a few omegas. Drell omegas can have "false heats", however, if they lose themselves too deeply in memories of a past heat.  
ELCOR - Most elcor encountered off Dekuuna are betas, as their omegas and alphas prefer their homeworld; elcor pheromones are the preferred method of communication, and going off-world can be extremely disorienting to those who are more sensitive to changes in pheromones. In addition, elcor heats seem to be not nearly as frequent as those of other races, and only other elcor are affected as the pheromone changes are much more subtle. However, elcor can usually tell when someone from another race is about to go into heat, even before the individual is aware of it themselves.  
HANAR - The hanar is a very private species, and it is still not clear whether hanar are monogendered or not. From observation, though, it seems as though they are mostly, if not completely "beta".  
HUMAN - Human have alphas, betas, and omegas. Due to their unusually large genetic diversity (in comparison to that of other species), humans are often used in biological experiments as a control group.  
KROGAN - Strangely, Krogan males tend to be alphas, while Krogan females are usually beta. In fact, female Krogan alphas do not naturally have a penis - they will only develop them if they are constantly surrounded by omegas in heat for a period of time. Krogans do not have omegas, though the presence of alphas (and krogan history) suggests that they did at one point in time. The Genophage likely decreases the chances of omegas even further, as omegas are nothing if not fertile.  
QUARIAN - While Quarians have alphas, betas, and omegas as most races do, their weak immune system causes them to not have the same effect on other races/be affected by other races that most omegas do. Because of their weakened immune systems, every Quarian wears an environmental suit that regulates everything from the air they breathe to the ambient temperature around their body. Because of this, they can work closely with omegas in heat without being affected. In addition, omega Quarians take large amounts of suppressants, as an unexpected heat could be deadly.  
RALOI - As contact with the Raloi is incredibly recent (2184), not much is known about their unique biology. The Raloi do have alphas, betas, and omegas.  
SALARIAN - Salarians have alphas, betas, and omegas. Salarian omegas tend to have heats more often than other species due to their accelerated (compared to other species) metabolism.   
TURIAN - Turians have alphas, betas, and omegas. It still has not been proven if the famed ability of alpha turians' ability to withstand an omega's pheromones longer than other species is due to their biology or their strict military upbringing.  
VOLUS - Like Quarians, Volus wear high-tech suits, though theirs are so they can exist in the pressures that other races find "normal." Volus physiology developed under pressures so heavy that if they were to take off their pressure suit on, say, Illium, their bodies would literally explode from the "lack" of atmospheric pressure. As such, omegas rarely venture far from Irune, and alphas are not affected by pheremones due to their filtration systems.  
VORCHA - Like Asari, Vorcha are monogendered. This means any vorcha can carry offspring, and any vorcha can sire offspring. Strangely, vorcha react to pheromones like alphas of other species, including the production of a knot. This may mean they were once more diverse, or it may just be a result of their amazing adaption abilities.  
YAHG - Even some of the more "primitive" races such as the Yahg clearly have societies where the alpha-beta-omega dynamic comes into play.  
Prothean - Recent data suggests that the Protheans may have engineered, or at the very least encouraged, certain aspects of common biology, such as the alpha/beta/omega orientations. We will only know for sure with further study.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeeeah, I kinda got fed up and copped out on the hanar, mostly because the mass effect wiki was very unhelpful and i was pissed. Sorry. Also, humans, turians, and salarians don't have much,


End file.
